Inside 440 - Berry Hill, Midtown, Vanderbilt, 12S, WeHo, Fairgrounds, etc.

[PillowTalk4]

On 5/16/2017 at 11:59 AM, Philip said:

With all the development along there, won't it soon become the type of place where people commute to rather than through? So then, places like the Micky D's in the picture (which is in Philadelphia) would start making more sense.

I hope you're right bu the answer to your question is not necessarily... McDonald's can and will cram a stand alone restaurant where it can if possible.  Even if they have to use an alley way as part of a drive thru.  There's one in DC that has a drive thru that really shouldn't and their parking takes up valuable space.  There's a Wendy's directly across the street from it that is almost on an island as it is pretty much in the middle of where several streets come together.  If DC did away with the Wendy's they could create better traffic flow in the area.  But there's no indication of that because Wendy's remodeled both the interior and exterior of that store over the past few years.  

Here's an example of how McDonald's crammed a restaurant into tight quarters in NYC....  It's in Harlem, in an area where there is plenty of foot traffic as well as residential complexes galore.  It's also near a major subway stop.  I couldn't find a picture of it, but there's another one in the NY/NJ area that has no parking lot but has a drive-thru that wraps around the building between the other three buildings that surrounds it.  I believe there's a McDonalds in Jersey City that is at the ground level of an apartment building... talking about ensuring you have a 24 hour customer base....  Oh... and McDonald's once proposed to build a 6 story apartment building in Walnut Creek, CA where an existing McDonald's sits.  Their intent was to cash in on the growth in the area by tearing down their existing restaurant and replacing it with a residential building with retail at street level.  McDonald's didn't disclose if they were going to open a new restaurant in the proposed building, but I suspect they probably were.

Anyway, I point this out because I really don't think fast food places care about how they blend in with the area.  If they can open a restaurant between two 50 story buildings with a drive-thru you best believe they will.  They know people are lazy and if they don't have to get out their cars they are more likely to wait in line at a drive-thru.  Just last night I went to a Chick-fil-a near my home in Maryland.  Because I hate waiting, I always use their app to order in advance then just go inside to pick-up my order.  When I arrived, the drive-thru line was going way out of the parking lot and as always blocking other businesses.  I parked in an adjacent lot to ensure I didn't get trapped in, went in got my order in about 3 minutes, walked out and could see that at best cars waiting in line had moved up maybe two car lengths.  The line of cars had also extended further as well.  None of them cared that they had just seen me walk in to get my order and pretty much walk right out while they were in some ridiculously long drive-thru line.  Lazy. 

[MLBrumby]

I am not so much lazy (as I swim 3-4 miles and hike at least 15 miles per week), but it annoys the stuffing out of me that drive-thrus get precedent over walk-ins just about all the dang time. Plus, I'm often on the phone in the car at lunchtime, and I know how annoying that can be to people standing in line around me. So it's just simpler to stay in my car and get served faster. 

[titanhog]

Just heard on News 2 that they're supposed to add the Fountains of Musica in November.

http://wkrn.com/2017/05/17/artist-behind-some-of-music-citys-iconic-landmarks-speaks-about-his-work/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZge4D7pIdI

Edited May 17, 2017 by titanhog

[TNinVB]

"one of the landmarks that Nashville will be known for" hmmmm sounds like something that should have been at the KVB roundabout. 

[Nathan_in_DC]

Exactly! Why isn't something like THIS at the KVB roundabout? I mean, I'm thrilled we're getting it at all, but it's a shame something equally as grand isn't in what is one of the main focal points of the city.

[AUNash]

I went to dinner at Tartufo, which is on Hayes St behind the Spring Hill Suites hotel in midtown, and it struck me while driving through there that the whole area between Broadway/West End and Church from the interstate down to 22nd or so is crying out for a transformation. I think it will eventually happen, given the development and economic factors surrounding that area, but I wonder when we will see it. The potential for that area is off the charts, but for some reason nothing seems to be happening there yet.

 

[Flatrock]

17 hours ago, AUNash said:

The potential for that area is off the charts, but for some reason nothing seems to be happening there yet.

Totally agree. My opinion: property prices have skyrocketed and are out of sync with making developers' numbers work (in many cases). The cost of dirt is too high to bring some of these underutilized parcels to highest and best use....for the time being. 

Edited May 22, 2017 by Flatrock

[PillowTalk4]

20 hours ago, Flatrock said:

Totally agree. My opinion: property prices have skyrocketed and are out of sync with making developers' numbers work (in many cases). The cost of dirt is too high to bring some of these underutilized parcels to highest and best use....for the time being. 

I agree.  There has to be a reason this area has been pretty much void of development.  I expected it would take off a lot more than it has.  It's reminds of how SoBro was before it took off.  Hopefully, when a developer decides to jump out there and do something major, it'll catch on.  But right now it seems isolated. I was thinking we would have seen residential development with buildings in the 10-20 story range with some ground level retail.

[markhollin]

Had West End Summit ever gotten off the ground (or should I say 'out of the pit'?) it would've sparked a lot in that whole neighborhood (I've heard several developers say so).  Still holding out hope that Palmer will sell and someone will do a great work on that site.  

 

[NashvilleObserver]

The West End area has had plenty of development, especially in the streets off WE. Aertson/Kimton, Hates Street Hotel, Morris Condos (M Residences) and SKY HOUSE, just to name a few. However I think Church Street is just too close to the Charlotte Ave side of Nashville to elicit a transformation just yet. 

[PruneTracy]

3 hours ago, PillowTalk4 said:

I was thinking we would have seen residential development with buildings in the 10-20 story range with some ground level retail.

I think that's a little optimistic for north of West End even at full build-out. It's quite a large area. There are going to be a few high-rises built but I would expect the typical development in this area to be either low-rise office or stick-frame pedestal apartments like 1818 Church, The Dallas, and Elliston 23.

[Jamie Hall]

I'm really surprised that the huge Jim Reed warehouse at Church and 16th has sat empty for so long. Seems like an amazing property. Is it even on the market?

[smeagolsfree]

I am unsure of the status of that property. I think the same group owns where the current Downtown Suburu dealership is as well as the lots behind and also the car lot on the otherside of the Suburu dealer as well.

Again, as I have said in other post, the amount of land that can be developed in and around the core is staggering.

Remember all the land the Tennessean sits on, not to mention the huge NES lot on 11th, plus the almost 20 acres Beaman has. Then there are all the surface parking lots, and all of the buildings that are not that great that could be torn down. 

A blessing and a curse.

[titanhog]

14 minutes ago, smeagolsfree said:

I am unsure of the status of that property. I think the same group owns where the current Downtown Suburu dealership is as well as the lots behind and also the car lot on the otherside of the Suburu dealer as well.

Again, as I have said in other post, the amount of land that can be developed in and around the core is staggering.

Remember all the land the Tennessean sits on, not to mention the huge NES lot on 11th, plus the almost 20 acres Beaman has. Then there are all the surface parking lots, and all of the buildings that are not that great that could be torn down. 

A blessing and a curse.

Yeah...there is so much land around the I-40 / Broadway / Church St exit area prime for development in the future.  Talk about changing the skyline!

[NashvilleObserver]

1 hour ago, Jamie Hall said:

I'm really surprised that the huge Jim Reed warehouse at Church and 16th has sat empty for so long. Seems like an amazing property. Is it even on the market?

The building is owned by the owners of Play dance bar.  It's not on the market

[smeagolsfree]

Play and Tribe buildings are owned by a company called equitable trust, but the Jim Read building is stilled owned by that family. The address is 1525, so its next to the ones I think you were thinking about.

[MLBrumby]

William has info about the demolition of the long-vacant 11-story Imperial House, built in the early 1960s next to the present day location of St. Thomas. http://www.nashvillepost.com/business/development/article/20862390/saint-thomas-to-demolish-highrise

Another mid-century building bites the dust. 

[smeagolsfree]

It has not been occupied for a number of years and was in a state of disrepair. Hate to see it come down, but alas somethings must come to pass.

[volsfanwill]

On 5/22/2017 at 0:29 PM, markhollin said:

Had West End Summit ever gotten off the ground (or should I say 'out of the pit'?) it would've sparked a lot in that whole  HOLE neighborhood (I've heard several developers say so).  Still holding out hope that Palmer will sell and someone will do a great work on that site.  

 

Fixed it.

[markhollin]

Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital addition (4 story/80 ft. On top of existing 8 stories).  Looking north from intersection of Blackemore Ave. and 23rd Ave. South:
 

[titanhog]

Hey guys...what is this building with the tanks/towers on Church St?  Is this a property that will one day be purchased for redevelopment?  Those tanks seem like they'd fit a bit better in an industrial area of town.

[MLBrumby]

It's an old dairy processing plant. I seem to recall that it was Sealtest's when I was at Vandy. Says it's now "Country Delight Farms" according to Google. 

[PillowTalk4]

3 hours ago, titanhog said:

Hey guys...what is this building with the tanks/towers on Church St?  Is this a property that will one day be purchased for redevelopment?  Those tanks seem like they'd fit a bit better in an industrial area of town.

It is now Country Delight.  We discussed this about a month ago and I think if they would just paint a mural on them or come up with some other paint scheme they'd fit just fine.  They could be iconic to the area as a piece of art.  But I'm not counting on Country Delight commission the work.  I do wonder if they the art commission could initiate something artistic for them.  The downside of course is if Country Dairy every sells the property the silos will probably come down as well.  Unless like some water towers they are incorporated into a new development for the property.

[Nathan_in_DC]

I actually really hope the dairy stays. It's a unique part of the neighborhood and one of the very few remnants of its industrial past. I fear though that the value of the land they're sitting on will be too much to resist for much longer.

[NashvilleObserver]

11 hours ago, Nathan_in_DC said:

I actually really hope the dairy stays. It's a unique part of the neighborhood and one of the very few remnants of its industrial past. I fear though that the value of the land they're sitting on will be too much to resist for much longer.

Let's hope it too much to resist. There's no reason a prime plot of land like that should be wasted on a dairy plant. That's belongs in an industrial/warehouse area.